Holding On
by waltzingrose
Summary: Bits and pieces of Gabby, all inspired by the weekly 2010 Hiatus prompts from Chirugal. Rated T for now, but that's definitely erring on the side of caution.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Ending  
**Rating**: T to be safe  
**Spoilers**: Borderland – the first line is taken from that dialogue

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 1 prompt "Ending". I originally wrote and published this in August 2010 and just rediscovered it…and realized I had 1) not updated since then and 2) forgotten my disclaimer. So I reposted :) No change in the story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

_"...tell me how much I've been like a daughter to you..."_

"Can't do that, Abbs."

For once in my life, I'm speechless. Gibbs – my silver-haired fox, my knight in shining armor – has failed me. Have I really misread everything – all the kisses on the cheek, all the "_My girl_"s, even the fuzzy "I love you" straw on my Valentine's Caf-Pow!, everything?

I feel my eyes fill with tears, and I turn to walk away before he can see me cry. He doesn't always have to pick up the pieces for me.

I _swear_ that man has gotten even quicker – must have learned some of those crazy ninja skills Ziva has. Before I could take a whole step, his hand is around my upper arm, holding me back, holding me _up_ as I balance mid-step. With the gentlest of pressure, he turns me to face him.

"Can't do that, 'cause then this would be illegal."

His other hand reaches up to cup my face and everything stops – even my heart – until he kisses me. Then everything becomes even more real. The smell of sawdust, the taste of the Jack on his lips...He pulls back and stares at me.

"Gonna say anything, Abbs? Not like you to be this quiet."

I still can't say anything. Instead, I pull myself to him again, this time burying my head against his chest, relishing in the warmth and security I've always found there – _will_ _always find there_, I correct myself.

I came thinking that this would be an ending – an ending of everything we had built over the past years. In a sense, I was right...but it was a necessary ending. Now we could start something new.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Fix  
**Rating**: T to be safe

**Spoilers**: Doppelgänger – sort of. Can you spot the reference? ;)

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 2 prompt "Fix".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah, Abbs, it's me." He could hear her settling back into his ancient sofa. "Whatcha doin' here?" Not that he wasn't glad she was there…coming back to the house when she was there was almost like coming home.

"Escaping the exterminators at my apartment." Even in the dim lighting – she has _got _to get him some decent lightbulbs - she could see his raised eyebrows as he came into the living room. "Apparently my neighbors found a whole family of giant cockroaches under the sink – I mean like really ginormous ones – and they freaked out, so the exterminators are spraying all the apartments, and they were running behind, so they hadn't gotten to my place before I came home, and the smell was really hinky – think Raid but like a hundred times worse – and –"

He cut her off mid-ramble, and quite a ramble it was shaping up to be. "Got it, Abbs. Need to stay the night? I'll make up the guest room." As he moved past the couch on his way to the stairs, he saw the reason she was rambling so spectacularly. "Green ice cream? You mix that with your Caf-Pows and your stomach will think it's Christmas." He dodged the pillow she threw at him.

"It's pistachio, Gibbs – and, technically, it's gelato, not ice cream. See? Gelato has a different consistency." She waved the mostly-empty container under his nose. "After this case, I realized I hadn't anything pistachio-ish in _ages_, so I stopped by the store on my way here and got a tub. Anyway, it'sgot less butterfat than regular ice cream – maybe that's why Italians stay so thin…I'll have to ask Tony – and that causes it to –"

He quite effectively stopped this ramble by kissing a little drip of gelato off the corner of her mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Nonchalant  
**Rating**: T to be safe

**Spoilers**: Bloodbath. I stole a quote. And I love the Gabby in it.

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 3 prompt "Nonchalant". I know this is _super_ short, but it's all I came up with for the prompt.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

Nonchalant - feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed.

* * *

"_Me? Who'd want to kill _me_? I mean, Tony I understand, but..._"

Listening to the team discuss the crime scene, Abby acted like nothing was wrong. Inside, she was already shaking, crying out for Gibbs. If she was really in danger, she knew he'd make certain she was safe. Hopefully, he'd think the best way to do that was to keep her close to him. He had to. But until she was safe with him, she'd have to just try to keep calm, to relax into her work like she always did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Now or Never  
**Rating**: T to be safe

**Spoilers**: Cover Story – again, I stole a quote, plus a couple brief references to the plot

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 4 prompt "Now or Never".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

She had to tell him, find a way to make him see that it was really, truly over between them, that her heart belonged to someone else. Almost being killed – again – because some crazy coffee guy thought she and Tim were "meant to be together"? Not cool. And definitely not okay.

When she saw the team, saw _him_, she knew she'd be okay. But when Timmy started going on about a wedding – a wedding! – she knew she had to speak up, although she waited until they'd gotten the guy – and his gun – away from her.

"_Agent McGregor cannot marry Amy in the end. McGee, they're all wrong for each other."_

She hoped that, being a trained investigator and all, he could put one and one together – between what she told him, being sure to not mention any particulars, and the hug she got from Gibbs, it should be clear – and get two.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Investigate  
**Rating**: T to be safe

**Spoilers**: Hiatus I & II

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 5 prompt "Investigate".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

Her face haunted him – he'd jerk awake at what Mike would call some ungodly hour with it floating behind his eyes, more a ghost than Shan and Kelly ever were. He wanted – no, needed – to talk to her, to apologize – never a sign of weakness when it concerned her. He should never have left her like that, without a word – her, to whom words were so important, a connection to those around her.

But he couldn't call. He had run off like a dog with its tail between its legs, ashamed to have been caught in a lie of omission by his team. How could they – they who looked to him for guidance – ever again follow an investigator, a seeker of the truth, who lied to everyone he met for years?

No, he'd wait for her. Wait to see if she would ever want him in her life again. If she did, he knew she'd use every trick she knew – some he had taught her, but most that she had taught him – to track Mike down, and him, too. Using none of the classic investigative techniques she usually did – there were no crime scene photos, no ballistics, no physical evidence – she would find him.

He hoped she did.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Lipstick  
**Rating**: T for a very minor implication

**Spoilers**: none

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 6 prompt "Lipstick".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

"Gibbs." He picked up on the first ring – it was a slow week, excruciatingly so, and he found himself wishing for a murder, just so he wouldn't have to explain to the director why he needed a new team member and a really good lawyer for McGee and David. Besides, getting the blood out of the bullpen carpet would be a nightmare.

When he heard Abby's voice on the other end, he shook his head slightly at his team, who were already half out their seats, reaching for their gear. Without saying anything to them – _Might as well give them something to talk about_, he thought– he hung up and left.

When he got to the lab, Abby's music was at an unbelievable volume. "Abbs?" Nothing. "Abby!" Still no answer. Wincing at the music – well, he couldn't call it noise without fear of retribution – as he passed the speakers, he finally found her in the ballistics room. _Perfect_.

Practically the second he was through the door, he had her pushed into the far corner. The feel of her lips on his banished the impatience brought on by a week with no case and replaced it with a burning need to be as close to her as possible.

When they both needed air too much to continue, he pulled back ever so slightly and rested his forehead against hers. "Slow day, Abbs?"

"You have no idea. I've recalibrated Major Mass Spec, run maintenance on every computer, cleaned out my work email…" Her voice trailed off as Gibbs ghosted kisses down the side of her face, just in front of her ear.

Her sigh made Gibbs' heart beat just that much faster, and he was about to ask her if she wanted to go home for lunch – with company, of course – when his cell phone vibrated on his hip. "Yeah, Gibbs." He listened for a few seconds then said, "Got it. Meet you in the garage in three."

Abby pulled him in for one last kiss. "Finally got a case?" When he nodded, she started jumping up and down, fists pumping – and almost broke his nose.

"Geez, Abbs," he murmured, signing _my girl_ against her cheek. "Guess you'll be too busy processing evidence to start cleaning the windows." She stuck her tongue out at him as she shooed him out of the room, moving to turn on all her babies in preparation for all the goodies the team was sure to bring her.

When he got to the garage, DiNozzo tossed him the keys but didn't move to get in the car. "What, DiNozzo?"

"Boss, are you wearing…lipstick?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Title**: It's Been A While  
**Rating**: T to be safe – just one curse word

**Spoilers**: Ex-File and beyond…sort of.

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 7 prompt "It's Been A While". This has also set in motion a longer story – I haven't started it yet, but the ideas are milling around in my brain. This (and the future story) also comes from the Keith Urban song "You Gonna Fly" – the lyrics just fit. And I really don't like Hollis Mann. ;)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

"Gibbs?"

By the time he hears her voice, he's already known she was in his house for the better part of five minutes. He heard her trademark boots come through the front door and across the house to the basement door ever so slowly, almost hesitantly. Then nothing – she stands still for what seems like an eternity – listening, maybe? – until she calls his name.

"Come on down, Abbs." Her footsteps on the stairs are still hesitant, although that might be due more to the combination of her heeled boots and the half-unfinished steps than anything else.

When her face finally comes into view, Gibbs has to squint a little in the dim lighting – _damn, maybe it's time to start wearing those glasses down here_ – to see it. Her expression is…unusual – hopeful, almost.

"You're sure I'm not interrupting anything, Gibbs?"

"Oh, yeah, Abbs, the boat and I were just having a very meaningful discussion." He turned to pick up the ever-present bottle of bourbon on the worktable, then put it back and dug out the bottle of the good stuff. If Abby was upset about something, the least he could do would be to pour her a decent drink.

She snorted. "So…no Lieutanant Colonel keepin' you company?"

"Nope. She…left." He knocked back his coffee cup, emptying it so he could pour her drink. _Gotta get a second cup down here for her_.

"Left?" Her expression changes slightly, in a way he can't quite put his finger on.

"Yeah, Abbs."

Now he recognizes her expression, and he just barely has time to put down the bourbon before he's body-slammed by an enthusiastically-hugging Abby.

"It's been a while," he murmurs, and feels her smile against his neck.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title**: Mask  
**Rating**: T to be safe

**Spoilers**: none

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 8 prompt "Mask".

Well, urgh. This was, for some reason, a really tricky prompt. I'm not overly thrilled with the final result, but I couldn't just skip chapter 8, especially since I've gone this one without an update. But the good news is that I now have Microsoft Office - I just need to install it and I'll be done with TextEdit =) Thank you for your patience through my very Gibbs-like technical issues!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

He was always so careful - careful to hide what he really thought, what he really felt. Yes, he'd let his frustration burn through his cool exterior (Tony's semi-permanent headaches and the way the entire legal department jumped when he came too close were proof of that), but generally he was, to use the cliche (which Abby hated), _as cool as a cucumber_. Although, come to think of it, there were a lot of other things colder than cucumbers - a D.C. winter, ice cream, apartments with lousy heating…Anyway, he was always in control.

Well, no. He made people _see_ that he was in control. But, really, there were times that he wasn't - or when he didn't want to be. And no one ever seemed to notice - except her. She could see the lines around his eyes tighten and relax, could see the slight changes in his hands when they signed - ever so faint, but definitely there. She could just _feel_ the changes in him, and when he was at work, she was the only one to see. Well, technically, at home she was the only one, too…

Whatever it was that he was trying so desperately to hide, she could always see through the mask he put on every day - and she loved that he let her in.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Contrast  
**Rating:** T to be safe  
**Spoilers:** none  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 9 prompt "Contrast". I'm finally back in WiFi range! As a thank-you for still reading and reviewing (and adding to alerts) and - above all - for being patient, I'm going to add two chapters today :) Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

When they go out for dinner, they get _looks_ from the people around them. They are a study in contrast – he with his solid good looks, classic dress sense, and quiet strength; she with her youthful appearance, unique (to say the least) clothing, and bubbly nature – and no one can see, on the surface at least, why they are together.

They are _clearly_ not father and daughter; the way they interact is far too intimate. They watch each other's faces with an intensity that implies a serious relationship, although no one sees a ring on either's hand (and they certainly look).

His blue eyes sparkle at something she says; the not-so-subtle onlookers somehow know that this – together with the little half-smile he'll allow to creep onto his face – is an incredible expression of emotion. He replies, that smile twisting around his words ever so slightly, and her dark red-painted lips part as she throws her head back, a glorious laugh breaking into the stillness of their table.

But her eyes – a beautiful, rich emerald – have a certain depth to them, a depth that echoes the stillness in him. And the way he moves shows a strong sensuality, one very much like the one that she exudes effortlessly.

They contrast not just each other, but themselves – but it is only with contrast that an image is sharp and clear. And their image is visible to anyone who looks further than a passing, scornful glance. It is love.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Break  
**Rating:** T to be safe  
**Spoilers:** Outlaws & In-Laws, and a teeny-tiny pseudo-reference to Truth or Consequences  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's 2010 Hiatus Week 10 prompt "Break".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

Gibbs was rummaging around in his refrigerator for some leftover takeout that wasn't quite too old to eat when his front door opened and Abby slipped through. He could tell it was her by her hesitation – Tony would just stroll in, brash as ever; Tim would call out "Boss?", politely, with his head through the door but the rest of him still outside; he wouldn't hear Ziva. Giving up on the fridge, he moved instead to the drawer where he had his considerable collection of takeout menus.

"Chinese okay, Abbs?"

"What? Oh. If you want."

"What is it, Abby?" He'd never heard her quite so distracted and noncommittal – even when she was drunk, she was very definite. Well, he was pretty sure he knew what the problem was, and hopefully he could fix it.

He flapped the menu at her; she waved it back to him. Motioning for her to go into the living room, he called in their usual order before grabbing a beer for himself and the Caf-Pow for her that he'd picked up on his way home (he'd been pretty sure that she'd show up at his house at some point). Passing through the doorway, Gibbs saw Abby sitting with her head down, staring at the floor, definitely not meeting his eyes. The rattle of the Caf-Pow cup didn't even get her down next to her, he put he drinks on the table and wrapped an arm around her. Tugging her closer to him, he murmured, "Tell me, Abbs."

"The _Kelly_…" she sighed. "Gibbs, I'm so sorry! I never wanted to take her apart –" Her voice broke. "I just wanted to find out what happened – to help Mike, you know? – and science – my life, everything I believe in – made me destroy something so perfect. And…" She finished the sentence to quietly for him to hear.

"Hmm?" He nudged her with his shoulder.

"And…something so precious to you." It was still barely audible, and her timid voice made his heart clench.

"Abbs…" He knew what he _wanted_ to say, but as a functional mute – as Tony kindly referred to him – he wasn't sure he _could_ say it. He settled for putting a finger under her chin and tilting her head until she met his eyes. "You needed to do it – _I_ needed you to do it."

"Really?"

"Yep. I made her…when I made her, for the reasons I made her, and then I let her go. My Kelly will always be special to me, but I don't need the boat to remember her."

"So…you're not mad?" Her eyebrows scrunched – not the puzzled scrunch she'd get when evidence was being particularly tricky, but the one that showed her deep-seated fear of losing someone she loved.

"Nope. Could never be mad at you at you, Abbs."

She reached for their drinks; handing him his beer, she tapped her Caf-Pow against it before leaning back into his embrace. "Love you, Gibbs," she whispered.

"Love you, too, Abbs," he said, pressing a soft kiss into her hair.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Sour  
**Rating:** T to be safe  
**Spoilers:** Hiatus I & II  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 11 prompt "Sour".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

Sugar. If she could just get enough sugar into her system, she'd never have to sleep. No sleep, no dreams. No more seeing Gibbs blown up (sometimes knowing all the forensic details made life really horrible). No more feeling his finger laid across her lips, his lips pressed to her cheek, silencing her with their own special touch-language. No more watching him walk away.

But the sweetness of the lollipops was too much, even for her. Her Caf-Pows were sickly sweet, too, but there was...something that made it bearable. Maybe it was who brought them.

She opened a bag of Sour Patch Kids and selected a green one, guaranteed to make anyone's mouth pucker. Biting its head off, she winced as the sourness hit her tongue.

Maybe she could blame her tears on them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** A Second Chance  
**Rating:** T to be safe – two teeny-tiny little curse words  
**Spoilers:** Deliverance, Hiatus I & II, Escaped, Borderland, Bloodbath  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 12 prompt "A Second Chance". While there are technically spoilers from Borderland, this is set immediately after Deliverance. I just needed the information we get in Borderland :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

"_Most people don't get a second chance."_

Opening his beer, Gibbs thought over the case they just closed. It had certainly brought back memories – '91 had been a rough year in every possible way. He reached instinctively for the old bullet wound; even though it was long healed, he could still remember the pain, so strong at the time that it was almost a living being trying to force him out of his own body. But Rose…Rose had been a blessing, though he most definitely didn't appreciate it at the time. That mission could have gone either way, and at the time he'd thought that it _should_ have gone the way it didn't.

That day – the day when Rose found him – was his _first_ second chance. She had made the choice for him to live, and once he was capable of coherent thought again, he promised himself that he'd make that gift of life count. He'd live _for_ Shannon and Kelly – and find justice for them. Looking back, maybe he hadn't done so well on the first part after all, but he damn sure had gotten justice. _Or was it vengeance?_

It hit him – hard – that he'd gotten _another_ second chance. Not with NCIS – Jen had never closed the door on his return. No, he'd been given another chance by his team, his friends. He'd walked out on them - _I walked out on _her – without a word, disappeared for months, then just showed up again. Sure, there had been a little harbored resentment (especially from Ducky), but they worked it out and things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they ever got with a team comprised of a Marine, a womanizing movie-buff, a trained assassin, a computer genius, an ME who doubles as a shrink, and a happy Goth forensic scientist.

_Abby_. He'd left without allowing her to speak because he knew he'd stay if she had asked. She had worked her way into his heart over the years he'd know her – and she knew it. There was every reason to think that she would have shunned him when he finally came back, but, no, in typical Abby fashion, she'd cuffed them together and opened her heart right back up to him.

_Damn._ He'd been blind. Again. He loved her. When that crazy ex of hers had been stalking her, he was prepared to do whatever it took to keep her safe. If anything like that had happened to his ex-wives, well…maybe not so much. He thought of Abby the way he had thought of Shannon, _loved_ her the same way. No, he hadn't forgotten Shannon, but now he remembered that promise he'd made himself in Colombia. It was time to start _living_ again, living the way she would have wanted – happily.

He was going to need a Caf-Pow and a dozen black roses.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Ice  
**Rating:** T to be safe (and maybe a possible insinuation at the very end)  
**Spoilers:** Iceman, Model Behavior  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 13 prompt "Ice". Who can spot the reference to Model Behavior? ;)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

Gibbs heaved a sigh as he closed his front door behind him. It had been a long night – he'd sent his team (and their forensic scientist) home hours before while he figured out how to write the case report without incriminating Mike or his newfound family. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he could just see Abby huddled on his couch with what looked like every blanket in the house wrapped around her. He reached back and slid the bolt on the door as quietly as he could before going to her.

When she felt a warm hand on her head, Abby stirred and blinked up at him without saying a word.

"What's up, Abbs?" Gibbs asked her softly.

Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck so tightly that he had to lean down over her if he didn't want to be choked.

"What a horrible way to die, Gibbs! I mean, I know he didn't _actually_ freeze to death, but it was a close thing, and…I'd never even _thought_ of freezing to death – I guess being from New Orleans, the cold is never really a _thing_, you know? – but now I think I've got to put it on my list."

Gibbs cocked his head silently; Abby heard the question anyway and rushed to answer it.

"You know, my list of the worst ways to die. Although I'm not sure where to put it…I mean, it's not gruesome, but –"

Peeling back the blankets was like slicing an onion for Gibbs – endless layers and likely to cause tears (he hated seeing her like this, curled into herself). When he finally extricated Abby from her nest, he pulled her against his chest.

"You're so _warm_, Gibbs," Abby said, burrowing into his arms.

"Can't get much closer, Abbs…c'mere." He picked her up and carried her to the stairs. "Let's warm you up."


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Dream  
**Rating:** T to be safe  
**Spoilers:** Twilight  
**Author's Note:** From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 14 prompt "Dream".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

_To die, to sleep—_  
_To sleep—perchance to dream._  
- _Hamlet_

* * *

Gibbs woke instantly when he felt her tensing against him. He'd been expecting this, subconsciously, for a week, and realized earlier that day that it would happen that night – the sight of the date on his cellphone when he flipped it open to check for messages in the night had hit him like a physical blow, and he knew it would be worse for Abby.

His hand stroked up and down her arm, gently, trying not to wake her but rather to soothe her back into sleep. It almost worked – she didn't wake, but she did roll to curl into his chest, shaking violently. He rocked her slowly, pressing kisses into her hair, signing _my girl_ against her cheek and _sleep _ever so softly across her face.

She certainly needed the sleep – it had been a busy few days, working a tough case, and Abby had been almost overwhelmed with evidence. Which was good, up to a point – it kept her from thinking too much about other things, and she would say it was good because it also kept her from sleeping, when she might dream about her best friend. On the other hand, it kept her from thinking about other things, processing them, and kept her from sleeping. Now, when she so desperately needed it, her sleep was anything but peaceful. He'd hoped that the exhaustion, combined with the span of years since Kate's death, might keep the dreams away, but he'd been wrong.

All he could do was protect her from them, as he hadn't been able to protect Kate, and remind her how much she was loved.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title**: Personal  
**Rating**: T to be safe (two little curse words)  
**Spoilers**: Nature of the Beast, Rule Fifty-One (just teeny-tiny ones)

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 15 prompt "Personal".

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

_Personal isn't the same thing as important._  
- Carrot, _Men at Arms_ by Terry Pratchett

* * *

Rule 10 – never get personally involved in a case. That didn't mean that every case wasn't important; it just meant that you could keep your emotions reasonably separate from the job at hand. And it was easier to get justice for those who needed it without getting lost in the memories of the justice you had to make for yourself…_Damnit, Gunny, stop that._

Actually, looking back on his life, the most important moments were defined when he _had_ let himself get involved, for better or worse.

Abby was important to him – he tried his best to keep her safe (although a little voice in the back of his mind kept telling him that he could do more), and he firmly believed that he could do that best while _not _involved personally. Well, he sort of believed it.

Okay, he was no longer sure of _what_ he thought about being involved with Abby.

Damn. Time for Rule 51 again. _Sometimes you're wrong._


	16. Chapter 16

**Title**: Charge  
**Rating**: T to be safe  
**Spoilers**: Blood Bath, Silver War (just a little)

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 16 prompt "Charge". This may not strictly fit the prompt, but…it's the best I could do. It's also the last of the stories from the 2010 prompts, and therefore the last chapter in this story. I will be starting on the prompts from 2011, although I'm not sure when, and they will be in a story of their very own.  
Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing – I love seeing those email notifications!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

How do you tell your boss - your boss who happens to be head of a federal agency – that you – you, who are in a fairly sensitive line of work and cannot afford distractions in the field – and one of your colleagues – a colleague who routinely deals with firearms, nasty chemicals, and bodily fluids – are involved? Especially considering the multiple marriages and subsequent nasty divorces that seem to be common knowledge at the aforementioned federal agency. And the colleagues somewhat questionable taste in previous boyfriends.

_And just how exactly do you see this playing out, Gibbs?_ He could hear Vance's question as clearly as if it had already been asked. It might be best to just charge in and ignore the rules. Well, guidelines, really. Technically their working relationship wasn't superior and subordinate – Abby was head of her department and not a member of his team – so it didn't really fit into any sort of category outlined in the personnel handbook.

Rule 18 had been created for situations just like this – not specifically against the rules, but not fully in keeping with them. And, well, the unspoken rule – keep Abby safe – that overrode anything else certainly applied. He could keep her safest if they were together.

Besides, a gentleman would never kiss and tell.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title**: Again  
**Rating**: T to be safe  
**Spoilers**: Bloodbath, Outlaws and In-Laws

**Author's Note**: From Chirugal's Hiatus Week 17 prompt "Again". This is probably bordering on a very overdone topic, but I had to write it. I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but I'm more than a little rusty...

I know I said that chapter 16 was the end, but I had forgotten this one – oops! I will soon be starting on the prompts from 2011, although I'm not sure when, and they will be in a story of their very own, as will this year's Haitus prompts, which I am trying to catch up on. I'll post them when I'm up to speed.

Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing – I love seeing those email notifications!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except what I write. NCIS and all its characters, plots, and quotes are all Mr. Bellisario's…I just play with them every now and then.

* * *

_Not again_ was all she could think. Why did it always have to be _her_ who damaged Gibbs' boats? Her memories of the first time she had taken a chunk out of one were pretty hazy, and it wasn't exactly her favorite memory from the past few years, but she did remember feeling more terrified of Gibbs than her crazy stalker of an ex when she realized what she had done...

_Oh well. Nothing for it_. She revved up the chainsaw.

As she carefully took apart the _Kelly_, all Abby could think of was what the boat meant to Gibbs – his daughter's namesake, his safe harbor in the horrific storm that his life so often was, his gift to his precious goddaughter.

Would he ever be able to forgive her for this?


End file.
